Second country after USA
Israel recognizes Western Sahara as part of Morocco
07/18/2023, 12:25 am
The status of the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara has been unclear for 48 years: Morocco annexed part of the territory, but there is also a movement for an independent state. Hardly any state recognizes Rabat’s claim to the region – until the USA under Trump change this. Now Israel is following that line.
It is a great political success for Morocco: Israel has recognized the North African state’s claim to the disputed territory of Western Sahara – as the second country after the USA. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has King Mohammed VI. communicated the decision in a letter, said the royal court in Rabat. The decision will now be taken into account “in all relevant actions and documents of the Israeli government,” the state agency MAP quoted from the letter.
The Israeli government confirmed the recognition shortly thereafter. Israel will now communicate the decision to the United Nations and other international organizations, it said. Western Sahara, claimed by Morocco, was a Spanish colony until 1975. After Spain left, Morocco annexed several areas of the territory.
Since then, Rabat has controlled large parts of the sparsely populated but resource-rich desert region. The Frente Polisario movement is striving for an independent state in Western Sahara and is supported by Algeria. Again and again there are skirmishes between Polisario and the Moroccan army.
Netanyahu’s move follows diplomatic rapprochement between Morocco and Israel a few years ago. Both Morocco and Sudan followed Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in 2020, which normalized relations with Israel.
As part of the agreement with Morocco, the then US President Donald Trump confirmed in December 2020, shortly before the end of his term in office, that the US would recognize its claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara. Otherwise, Morocco’s claim has not yet been recognized internationally.